Writing down the exercises you perform during your workout can help maximize your results. A weekly workout chart keeps track of the exercises you've done and keeps you from overexercising the same muscle groups. Additionally, it shows the progress you've made over time, and when you're new to exercise it helps you identify which muscles are targeted by the exercises you're doing. Although there are many workout charts available online, making your own chart allows you to customize it to your own workout.

Turn a blank, 8 1/2-inch by 11-inch piece of paper so the longer margin is horizontal.

Draw a large square on the page that's about 1-inch from the borders. Use a pencil and ruler and have an eraser nearby in case you make mistakes.

Draw a horizontal line about 1-inch from the top of the square.

Divide the large square into five equal-sized columns and six even rows.

Write the name of your chart at the top-center of the page outside the square. You can name it My Weight Training Routine or Joe's Exercise Chart. Write "Start Date" and "End Date" in the upper left-hand corner. Leave enough space so you can fill in the dates.

Title the five columns in the 1-inch bar at the top of the square. Name them from left to right with "Muscle Group," "Exercises," "Sets & Reps," "Pounds Lifted" and "Notes."

Write "Biceps," "Chest," "Triceps," "Back," "Shoulders" and "Legs" in the six squares under the muscle group column -- one muscle group per square.

Make copies of the chart and keep your original as the master copy.

Attach your workout chart to a clipboard so you can easily write on it. Before your workout, write the start time of your workout and the starting and ending date of the week in the designated areas.

Enter the name of the exercise in the specific area on the chart for the muscle you're training. For instance, if you're training biceps, write "Dumbbell Curls" under exercises. Fill in the number of sets and repetitions that were completed and how much weight was lifted. In the notes area, write any details about the exercise -- was it difficult or easy? Did you need a spotter? Did you make progress? When finished with your workout, log the ending time in the upper left-hand corner.